#first-past-the-post

#first-past-the-post

Ministers are speeding up the implementation of a new voting system to ensure it will be in place in the event of mayoral election in Greater Manchester this year. The changes would see a switch from First Past The Post (FPTP) - used in general elections - to the Supplementary Vote system. Under the Supplementary Vote system, voters get to choose a first and second choice. If no single candidates wins more than 50% of the vote share after first preference votes are counted, the top two candidates go into a run-off second round in which second preference votes from the eliminated candidates are taken into account.

How long had you to go: months, weeks, hours? We all know bad news sells. Political reporters cannot handle prime ministers sleeping soundly at night. But the terminal gloom around Keir Starmer's position is absurd. Not a morning passes without rivals being declared, and not an evening without the BBC's Chris Mason dragged from his supper to stand in the cold. He just frowns and forecasts Armageddon.

There were people around Jeremy encouraging him to set up a new party and I told him not to, she said. It's very difficult under the first-past-the-post system for a new party to absolutely win. If it wasn't first past the post then you can see how a new party could come through, but I understand why he did it.